Andy's Story - Sciatica Pain Journey
Before Align
“I had sciatic nerve pain running down my left leg from my back to the top of my foot. It made sitting for any period of time extremely painful. At times my pain would get up to an 8 out of 10. The pain was constant and controlled my life by stopping me from doing activities I enjoyed and working out for my health."
"It brought down my outlook on life. I have always enjoyed outdoor activities and have been an all-around active person, but every time I stood up from a chair, the siring pain down my leg reminded me I needed to do something about it. It just had become too much.”
Making the Change
“In the past I tried chiropractic care, pain medicine, spinal steroid injections, and was contemplating surgery. The surgeons said surgery was the next step, but I didn’t want to unless absolutely necessary. I had a friend who had great success with Align, and recommended I meet with them to see what my options were.”
Coach Jaylee: “The first time I met Andy was at his consultation. I watched him slowly slide out of his truck, hobble to the front door, and slowly sit down in the chair with a grimace. It was quite obvious he was in a TON of pain, and frustrated about it. As we started talking I heard more about his story and symptoms, and after some evaluation it was clear Andy was dealing with hamstring tendinopathy and an unstable SI joint. Both of which are completely fixable with correct guidance and exercise. I was VERY excited Andy was here because I knew there was SO MUCH hope and the hopelessness he felt toward the situation would completely disappear. That is so powerful and one of my favorite things about what we do at Align.”
Life at Align
Coach Jaylee: “Helping people walk out of chronic pain is always a step by step process. We first have to fix the larger contributing joint dysfunctions, and then transition into fixing specific muscle tissue. We always need to progress joints into being mobile, stable, and strong. Always. These include very specific mobility and stability metrics. Andy needed to fix his mobility and stability deficits, and then progress back into becoming very strong to stay out of pain.”
“At Align I love the coaches and the group aspect of the program. You are not in it alone and the other people working out with you are going through a similar process. You can watch everyone improve and it gives you the reinforcement that you will eventually get there also.”
“Jaylee said she could fix me in 6 months and she was dead on! I now have zero pain and can do anything I want to without pain again. I am now back to the person I was before the pain started. But even stronger and confident about what I need to do to keep myself in this position.”
Coach Jaylee: “What Andy means by ‘I could fix him in six months’ was I knew that’s how long he needed to become mobile, stable, and strong. He saw pain relief in the first few weeks, and pain was down to a 2 in the first 60 days. Increased joint mobility and stability works wonders for pain levels, however what everyone needs and what most people don't prioritize is getting strong and then staying strong. A better understanding of it is “increasing load bearing capacity” of your muscles and connective tissue. People underestimate how much load their tissues have to carry on a day to day basis. If people’s tissue can handle the load of their day, then they will stay out of pain. If not, then they are going to slowly (or quickly) destroy their joints and tissues. Andy knows he has to stay strong in order to do the things he loves like hunting, boating, hiking, etc. Andy partners with Align on a weekly basis to stay consistent on his strength work so he can continue to live the life he loves.”
Giving Advice
From Andy: “Have patience and do exactly what your coach tells you to do. Don’t try and go it on your own and do more because you feel better one day. Slow and steady progress will win the race.”
